The Start of Something Great: Pirates 4, Mets 0

Okay, so it wasn’t Jameson Taillon’s first start. And it came against a struggling Mets offense. But it’s hard not to look at last night’s dominant performance (six no-hit innings, and just two hits in eight shutout innings) and think about the future. Pirates fans are already pretty forward-looking, not just because they had 20 years of practice, but because everything about this season suggests it’s an uphill climb for the team. But as frustrating as 2016 has been, that’s how bright things look in 2017, and Taillon is a big part of that.

Part of me actually dislikes this particular forward-looking feeling, because it’s pretty much the only thing that kept me watching the team for many years. In the middle of that epic losing streak, as often as not my eyes would scan the box score for individual players’ lines, barely noticing the score. Why bother? The score didn’t matter. The development of individual players did. It’s bittersweet to be back in that habit, though at least now it’s the exception, rather than the rule.

Hopefully, this is the beginning of a long, productive career for Taillon. And, short-term, hopefully it’s the start of a nice hot streak, though given the quality of our upcoming opponents, that’s a pretty tall order.

All four Pirate runs came via the homer (a two-run laser from Kang, and a two-run bomb from Marte, and I’m just now noticing how many slang home run terms are just references to weapons).

As I mentioned the other day, Taillon’s start would’ve been more exciting if it were alongside Cole in the rotation, rather than replacing him, but if he throws well enough that they don’t really lose much for the time he’s gone, that’s still a pretty good recovery from what might have been the single worst player the Pirates could have lost to injury, given their rotation struggles.